50th Anniversary of the Coastal Conservancy
The California State Coastal Conservancy was established in 1976 to protect and improve natural lands and waterways, to help people get to and enjoy the outdoors, and to sustain local economies along California’s coast.
Over 50 years, our work has had a profound impact on the state’s iconic coastline.
Our vision is of a beautiful, restored, and accessible coast for current and future Californians. We act with others to protect and restore, and increase public access to, California’s coast, ocean, coastal watersheds and the San Francisco Bay Area.
The Conservancy’s jurisdiction spans California’s 1,200-mile coastline, coastal watersheds, the Santa Ana River, and the San Francisco Bay.
Over 50 years, The Conservancy has:
- Invested over $2 billion in coastal conservation, restoration, public access, and climate resilience.
- Conserved more than 500,000 acres of natural lands as open space.
- Created more than 2,000 public accessways and easements up and down the state, including stairways, overlooks, and paths to the coast.
- Restored more than 100,000 acres of kelp forests, estuaries, salt marshes, sandy beaches, coastal dunes, and uplands.
- Opened 875 miles of California Coastal Trail within sight, sound, and smell of the Pacific Ocean.
- Completed more than 100 urban waterfront projects, enabling local communities to reclaim waterfront properties for recreational use and economic development.
- Partnered with over 1,000 different nonprofits, public agencies, and tribes including hundreds of local conservation organizations and Community Based Organizations.
- Starting in 2012, the Coastal Conservancy’s Climate Ready program has helped coastal communities prepare for the impacts of climate change.
- Helped nearly 400,00 Californians access and enjoy the coast, often for the first time, through our Explore the Coast program.
And we’re ready for the next 50! Learn more about the Conservancy’s vision for the future of the California Coast in our Strategic Plan.